Jonathan Cohen Fall/Winter 2025

“I dropped my guard and glanced down ringside at a screaming woman—Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor… Suddenly, something exploded against my jaw. I was down on the floor.” —Muhammad Ali

With that quote begins the origin story of this collection, presented here in a gallery format and blending both portraiture and garment.

Taylor, among the most legendary silver-screen names immemorial, would, for a time, frequent boxing matches. And she’d frequent them glamorously. She was among the first “modern” celebrities—a do-as-she-pleased, always-camera-ready powerhouse of spotlit personality. It’s no wonder Ali’s attention was diverted. He was caught in, and by, Taylor’s radiance.

Cohen became intrigued by the juxtaposition of star, the performer and boxer, the athlete. In and of itself the combination is cinematic; a bombshell in the stands, a heavyweight hero in the ring, and the attendant ups and downs that come with observing and enacting the event between the two—the tension, the camera flashes, the physical spectacle, the ooh's and ahh’s, and the overall unassailable imprint of fame between the two. 

Elements from both sides of the ropes come into play in this collection. 

Cohen looked at Taylor’s namesake perfumes, for example. One was held in a glass gardenia-shaped bottle. He smashed the blossoms, and visualized the fractured flowers as prints on silk satin and viscose and across day-dresses and blazers. He further reimagined a snow leopard print, woven into jacquard, with Taylor’s eyes instead of the big cat’s spots. 

From Ali’s vantage point, Cohen worked in boxing wrap trims and boxing short waistband motifs, knifed into pleated skirts and peplum tops, or trimming the edges of trousers. Tiny lightweight boxer tanks, too, complement the fusion.

Signature Cohen elements, like upcycling and knots, bond these thematics together—the former on a box-fit jacket or a noir-palette cinched waist evening gown, the latter fastening pant legs or dress sleeves in elegant lines. These hallmark knots are seen on flats made in partnership with longtime collaborator Marina Larroude, of the surname-eponymous footwear brand Larroudé. Boxing boots—and boxing boot heels—are also introduced through this endeavor.

Eyewear is introduced for the first time, in partnership with Selima Optique. 

Dubbed “The Siouxsie” for the singer-songwriter Siouxsie Sioux (who actually bears resemblance to Taylor, if in a punk though no less fabulous way), the narrow cat-eye frames follow the musician’s signature strong eyebrow. Cohen cleverly calls his lens colors “eye shadows.” 

The collection is visualized in a special manner this season; the outfits stand on temporarily installed mannequins at Rockefeller Center, yet the looks are also photographed on women who are closest to Cohen and the house–supporters and fans and creatives in New York and beyond. These individuals include: Dilone, Sally Singer, Batsheva Hay, Phyllis Kao, Jeauni Cassanova, Kimberly Drew, Marina Larroude, Joanna Gong, Gigi Burris, Elena Kassner, Dede Kantorowitz-Leff, Mei Zou, Carola Righes, Sophie Conti, Brigitte Conti, and Sarah Pidgeon.